TheRestofthe2017iPadLineupCouldBeAnnouncedNextWeek

In March, Apple introduced a new 9.7-inch budget tablet simply called iPad. In doing so, the company retired the iPad Air 2, which was first announced in 2014. If the many rumors are correct, Apple will be reshuffling its tablet lineup once again as early as next week at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Jose, California.

A Very Big Year

The iPad Pro line currently features two tablets, a 12.9-inch model, announced in October 2015, and a 9.7-inch version launched in March 2016.

In August 2016, Ming-Chi Kuo with KGI Securities noted that Apple was prepping three new iPad Pro devices for 2017. The analyst said this will include new 9.7-inch, 12.9-inch, and 10.5-inch models.

Two months later, Makotakara also said that Apple was prepping three new “Pro” tablets for 2017. At the time, they said this would include an all-new 10.5-inch iPad Pro, which could replace (or join) the current-generation 9.7-inch model. Alongside, they said we’d see a “7.9-inch iPad Pro” and second-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

Just as we’ve heard that the rumored 5.8-inch “iPhone 8” may be the only Apple handset in 2017 to receive a new design, so too could the 10.5-inch iPad Pro.

According to a November report from the Japanese website, the new iPad will ship bezel-free and without a Home button. Interestingly, this new tablet will use the same footprint as the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, retaining a top bezel for the front-facing FaceTime camera. The bottom bezel will be reduced in size, however.

At 7.5mm, a 10.9-inch iPad Pro would be slightly thicker than the 9.7-inch iPad Pro, although it would feature the same depth as the first iPad Air. The 9.7-inch iPad Pro has a thickness of 6.1mm.

Digitimes sources say the new 10.5-inch tablet will ship with an Apple-developed CPU A10X, which will also arrive on the next-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

Current iPad lineup

iPad (announced in March 2017)

9.7-inch iPad Pro (March 2016); may be replaced by 10.5-inch model

12.9-inch iPad Pro (November 2015); refresh coming soon

iPad mini 4 (September 2015); future unknown

WWDC

Given the March launch of the iPad, we’re no longer convinced that Apple will ever release a next-generation 9.7-inch iPad Pro. Instead, it’s looking increasingly likely that the long-rumored 10.5-inch iPad Pro will replace the 9.7-inch iPad Pro as the company’s flagship tablet.

In doing so, the tablet lineup could soon include the budget iPad, the 10.5-inch iPad Pro, and the second-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

What about the 7.9-inch iPad mini? The fourth generation version is likely to stick around — at least for a while.